Latest news from the Pacific Northwest

Dramatic dust storm precedes thunderstorms in NW

August 13, 2014 @ 1:54 pm

A massive, dramatic dust storm moves toward a barn near Harrington Wash., Tuesday Aug. 12, 2014. More often associated with the Southwest the dust storm blew through Eastern Washington and north Idaho on Tuesday evening in advance of thunderstorms, lightning and rain. (AP Photo/Lacey Hirst)

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SEATTLE (AP) -- A massive, dramatic dust storm more often associated with the Southwest blew through Eastern Washington and north Idaho on Tuesday evening in advance of thunderstorms, lightning and rain.

Washington state troopers say the dust storm or "haboob" reduced visibility to zero in parts of Whitman and Adams counties, leading to numerous traffic accidents, especially in the Ritzville area southwest of Spokane.

Avista Utilities says nearly 10,000 customers temporarily lost power in the Spokane and Palouse areas and in the Grangeville, Idaho, area.

National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Fugazzi says Washington gets a dust storm like this every couple of years. He says winds of 40 to 50 mph kicked up a wall of dust in advance of the thunderstorms as the weather front moved up through Eastern Washington and western Idaho and kept heading north.